The Little Merman
by Alrynnas
Summary: Noctis gets a glimpse of what a human life is like when he meets Niveus. Fairly quick and simple one-shot written for fun. Merman AU. Largely fluff and relationship building. Nocts/OC.


**A/N:** I've had the idea of Noctis being a merman on my mind for a while now. And, after talking with some friends about it, I just had to write a fic about it. So this was written for fun, and to write some more Noctis/Niveus since they get so little in my main stories. Mostly fluff in this, just a light fic of relationship building, nothing too serious. This takes place on a fantasy version of Earth rather than the game universe (not that it matters too much since no places are named, but I did list specific magazines so yeah).

Enjoy!

* * *

**The Little Merman**

The sun rose over the ocean, sending it aglow to start the new day. Stretching, Niveus left her beach house and began her morning run. When the weather was nice, it was how she started her weekends. Several other people who also managed to get up bright and early for their own routines greeted her as she ran by. The salty breeze from the ocean kept her cool and refreshed as she neared her halfway point before returning home. It was at the end of the beach, where the warm sand ended and rockier land began where she stopped for a moment to enjoy the beauty of where she lived before returning home.

That day, however, would not be the same as all the others.

With a sigh, she popped open the cap of her water bottle and walked over to her favourite rock to sit on where she then enjoyed the rest of the sunrise. Something else, though, caught her eye. Tangled up in fishnet and seaweed was a beached...something. From what she could see, it resembled a dolphin but the colour was not the expected shade. Hurrying over to the creature's side, Niveus fumbled for her Swiss Army knife that she kept on her key chain to cut the netting. It was then she saw that it was skin on the creature, not scales. With it cut off and tossed to the side as much as she could get it, she waited for any sign of life.

"C'mon..." It had to be alive. It just had to be. Fins shifted slightly as the creature slowly breathed, but still it did not move. "Water!" she cried out before smacking her forehead. Not wanting to push the creature back into the ocean while it was unconscious, she poured all of her water onto its skin. Like dousing a person in water, she hoped it would help before the sun got much higher.

A sigh of relief escaped her when it began to move. The fins twitched as the tail began to curl back and forth. It was a rather long tail, quite longer than a dolphin's... Beneath some of the seaweed that was still draped over its upper body (she had left it on to block the sun) poked out an elbow. Niveus' breath caught in her throat as she fell back onto her feet.

Dolphins did not have elbows. Or hands.

A groggy groan reached her ears as the muscular arms swiped off of the rest of the seaweed and pushed its torso up. The back of a messy head of hair, a similar shade to the tail, met her vision. The torso of a man and a tail of a sea creature... There was only one name that came to mind:

"A merman..."

The merman froze upon hearing her whisper. It felt like minutes passed as she stared at the back of his head and he remained still. Slowly, as the sun finished cresting the horizon, he turned around, captivating blue eyes then catching her pale gaze. They stayed like that for a moment, each wearing an equally shocked and stunned expression as the other.

Blue eyes broke the locked gaze first as they shifted to the fishnet that lay on the ground beside him. He reached out for the netting and ran it between his fingers before staring back at her. The merman opened his mouth, as if to say something, but swiftly clamped it back shut, his face flushing in embarrassment. In a flash, he moved his body easily over the remaining sand and submerged into the ocean.

"Wait!" she called out, nearly falling as she scrambled to her feet and to the water's edge. The pale woman trudged into the ocean, making it to only about her knees' depth before stopping. Breaking through the surface was the merman's dark tail before it vanished completely from sight, signalling that he had dove into the depths where she could not follow.

* * *

Ever since Niveus had happened upon the merman, she returned to that same spot at the beach and waited for as long as she could on the rocks. The first few days, she had begun to wonder if it had been nothing more than a dream. A merman? They were nothing more than legend! There must have been some other explanation for what see saw—and hopefully one where she was still sane. The only proof that she had that something had happened was the fishnet that was still on the beach the following day.

Some mornings, she rose from her seat on the rock and rushed to the edge of water after seeing what looked like a dark tail breaking through the ocean. As long as the time and weather allowed, she waited for some clearer sign. Niveus did not dare tell anyone else at work or the beach of what she saw. Even if she had known for certain either way, she did not want news getting out.

The weekend rolled around yet again. When she had no work, Niveus found herself waiting from sunrise to nearly noon at the beach. She would bring books or other things along to do while waiting. Any time there was a splash, she would drop whatever she was doing and look up. More often than not, though, it was just the tide hitting the rocks.

"Hey..."

Sighing, Niveus closed the book she had brought for the day and looked over her shoulder. Not many people came to that part of the beach—the sands further down were far nicer—so she arched her eyebrows in preparation for whatever question came her way, expecting the man to be lost or something. Only...

No one else was there.

Frowning, she shook her head. It must have been some combination of the wind and water that made it sound like a person had spoken. The pale woman glanced out over the ocean for good measure before returning to her book. Maybe it would be best to take a break from her search soon if she was starting to hear things. The waiting must be getting to her.

"Hey."

Niveus started to close her book and look up when she stopped. It was just that same noise again. Nothing to worry about. She would go home then, once she finished the chapter. A break would do her good, and, then, in a few days, she would continue her search.

"Hey! Over here!" hissed a loud whisper.

Startling in surprise, she clamped her book shut again. The noise was most definitely a voice and not something made by the water. Only, now that it had been louder, she could tell that it had come not from behind or beside her, but from the ocean. She scanned the horizon, wondering if someone out in the water needed help, when she saw him.

Peeking out from behind one of the rocks in the ocean was that same dark-haired man that she had helped on the beach.

When her pale eyes fell onto him, he jumped a little before pulling back behind the rock to hide from view. There was no one else around, so she assumed it must have been him who called out to her. Maybe he was having second thoughts and was regretting having caught her attention. Jumping off from her rock, Niveus hurried into the ocean, kicking off her sandals, before he had a chance to change his mind and leave.

Water sloshed around her feet and legs, reaching to just under her knees when she reached the rock. Slowly, she peeked around it and froze. There, sitting slouched down to hide behind the rock, was the man staring up at her. He shrunk back a little more, his eyes still wide surprise. A dark tail moved in the shallow water, readying him to swim away if needed.

The tail was very much a part of his body. Human skin merged into the more dolphin-like skin of the tail. A merman... He really was a merman. Niveus could barely take her eyes off of the unfamiliar body part. It was rude to stare, that she knew, but she could not tear her eyes away. Plus, he was also still staring back at her, so it was even.

"Thanks..."

Niveus finally looked away from his tail, fins swaying under the water, and met his blue eyes. "What?" she whispered, moving around the rock so they did not have to strain their necks so much. As she move forward, he moved back, using the rock almost as a shield.

"Thanks...for before." Clearing his throat, he tried to lose the embarrassed waver in his voice. "It's rather ridiculous to get caught in a fish net or to wind up beached, but both at once? Yeesh, I never would have heard the end of it had I gotten home any later." Every word that slipped from his mouth made Niveus want to ask three questions. Instead, she could only stare and listen in silence. "So, you know, thanks." He paused, giving her a chance to say anything, the most expected response being a "you're welcome", but instead she remained in her stunned silence. Drumming his fingers against the rock, the merman let out a sigh. "Well, take care."

Water splashed as his strong tail righted him about to swim deeper into the ocean. That movement broke Niveus from her stunned state. "Wait!" she called out, like the last time, running after him. Unlike the first encounter, the merman stopped, turned around, and swam back. "What's your name?"

A slight smile tugged at his lips, one that masked a larger grin. "Noctis, but you can call me Noct."

She waded out a few more steps to him, squatted down, and held out her hand. "I'm Niveus. Nice to meet you, Noct," she replied with her own grin.

The merman Noctis took her hand in a firm shake. Their fingers lingered together a moment longer before Noctis swished his tail again and swam off. Waving over his shoulder, he dove beneath the water, vanishing from sight.

At least, that time, she knew he was real.

* * *

Noctis swam towards the surface of the ocean, his strong tail making it easy work. Slowing down, he peeked his head above the water, a cool breeze greeting him, and eyed the beach a few dozen meters away. Niveus was not there yet, so he lazily swam towards one of the shallower rocks. It was shallow enough that he could sit and relax beside it, but deep enough to keep his tail hidden should anyone else happen upon the area.

After their second encounter, they had both returned to the beach in hopes of seeing the other. Curiosity had gotten the better of them both. It had become a regular plan, then, meeting up on the weekends. She would bring him books and things called magazines for him to look at, and he would tell her of the oceans, bringing his own odds and ends to show her. The books that she brought normally held fairy tales, as she told him they were called, that she would then read to him. The magazines, on the other hand, were brought to show him the pictures and explain the articles While Niveus had explained that there were many different types of magazines that had different information (or sometimes what she described as "no information at all"), the ones that she brought were _Discover_ and _National_ _Geographic_.

The world above the waters and beyond was truly and amazing place. Noctis became enthralled by the detailed photos and pictures, even if he did not understand the contents at first glance. Such detail! It was spectacular. There was so much that he and his people did not know about the surface world and beyond. The merman was surprised then by how much of the ocean was still a mystery to the humans.

"But you've journeyed towards the stars!" he had argued in surprise at her remark. "The ocean can't be harder to explore!"

"Space? Space is nothing," she had replied with a knowing grin. "Nothing is much easier to deal with, to travel through, than all of the pressure the ocean puts on us. Maybe one day we will, but not yet."

Stretching, Noctis found himself frowning at the thought of humans exploring the oceans more. Remaining hidden beneath the waves was not as easy as it once was for the merfolk.

"Noctis?"

Upon hearing her voice, his frowned flipped to a smile. There was at least one human that was not a threat. Noctis could hear splashing as she neared the rock. With a flick of his tail, he rounded the rock and greeted her with a playful splash.

Niveus chuckled, tucking some of her white hair behind her ear. "Careful now!" she chided, splashing him back with a kick of her foot. "No getting the magazines wet." Nodding, Noctis propped himself up on the rock, shacking off his hands to get them as dry as he could. He swayed his tail in the water, eager to see what she had brought that day. "You're in luck!" Excited herself, Niveus lay down on the rock next to him, her feet dangling into the water, and pulled out the magazines from her bag. "A new issue arrived this week. Even I haven't taken a look yet."

"Discover," said Noctis, leaning forward. He could recognize the difference between the two magazines with nothing more than a glance, but he could not read the human script (and then he had learned that it was only one of many different ways that humans had for writing speech, and it gave him a headache merely thinking of it). Niveus had offered to try to teach him, but he had waved it aside for the time being—there was no need for him to learn human writing, plus it gave him an excuse to have Niveus read to him instead.

Resting his head on his arms, Noctis silently listened to what she read from the pages, enjoying all of the photos and various diagrams. In the first few weeks, he would often end up asking Niveus questions every other sentence. As the days rolled by, and he learned more, the questions lessened. Eventually, he found himself watching Niveus as she spoke more than he watched the papers. And it happened again.

Half-listening to what Niveus read, he silently watched her from the corner of his gaze. Seeing her so enthusiastic about the information made him smile. The way that her eyes widened when something caught her interest. The way that she smiled at him before pointing out a certain picture to describe it. The way that she tucked some of her hair behind her ear when he would ask questions. All the little things that she did... It brought him a joy and an anguish. Joy because simply being in her presence brought a smile to his face, but anguish because he had never expected to have fallen for a human.

He had tried to deny it to himself, but there was no use. The merman liked the young woman. More and more, he found his thoughts drifting to her when he was home and how he eagerly looked forward to the weekend. The few days out of the week that he got to saw her made his heart flutter. Yet he could share that feeling with no one.

"Noct?" Her voice pulled him from his wandering thoughts. She had finished reading through the magazine and he had not even noticed. The pale woman tilted her head at him. "Everything okay?"

"Ah...!" Most times, when he had blushed before because of her, he had managed to hide it from her gaze with a turn of his head and a change of subject. That time, however, he felt his face flush up and he could not bring himself to move away fast enough. "I-I should get going," he stammered, unable to come up with anything else to say. His wandering thoughts had distracted him much more than usual. Getting out of there to clear his head was the best choice.

"What? It's not even noon yet!" Their weekends together often lasted well past sunset. Having him leave so soon was out of the norm.

Noctis shook his head. "I just need to get going." Pushing himself up, he rolled off of the rock, splashing into the cool waters below.

"Wait! Is something wrong?" called out Niveus. She hurried into the water after him, grabbing onto his arm before he could get away. While he could swim fast enough to leave her behind, Noctis did not have the heart to do so. Sighing, he sank into water as much as he could, trying to disappear. "Was it something in the magazine? Or...something I've done?"

"No, no, nothing like that," mumbled Noctis, managing to get everything but his head under the water. It did nothing to cool him off.

"Then what is it? Please tell me?" She let go of his arm, giving him a chance to leave should he take it.

Glancing away, Noctis weighed his options. Swimming away then would only mean he would have to keep fleeing and not face his feelings. It was not in him to keep fleeing. While the moment was not ideal, taking a chance then would be as good as ever.

"Ilikeyou..." he slurred together, his mouth barely above the water.

"What?"

Sighing, Noctis pushed himself up from the water. "I like you," he repeated, unable to bring himself to look at her. "Far more than I probably should, but...I do." There. That was it. His confession was out in the open. There was nothing more for him to do than wait.

The silence from her was more than enough of an answer for him. Shaking his head, Noctis readied himself to leave. It was time to stop fooling himself.

A kiss on his cheek froze him in place.

If his face had been heated before, it was a roaring fire after. He swore that the water should have been steaming around him. Raising his hand to his cheek, Noctis looked back to Niveus. Like him, her face was red, and a bashful smile curled at her lips.

"Well, I guess that saves me from having to find the time to say that I like you." Chuckling away her comment, she tugged at her in a flustered manner.

It took him a moment to process what she had done and said, but then a massive grin spread across his face. She liked him back. A joyful laugh slipped out.

With a flick of his tail, he erased the distance that had been between them. "Really?"

She nodded bashfully, nearly covering her face with her hands. Sighing to calm his heart that pounded in his chest, racing away in elation rather than dread, Noctis chuckled and took her hands in his, pulling them away from her face. When she looked back at him, he smiled and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Um, since that's taken care of now, would you like to keep reading magazines or go for a swim?"

Noctis laced his fingers through hers. It sent tingles up his spine to hold them, running his thumb over the back of her hand. "Let's go for a swim."

* * *

Lying atop the tallest spire of the underwater castle, Noctis stared up towards the surface of the ocean. Even just looking up there, looking to where Niveus lived, brought a smile to his face. Even if they only had moments together, he enjoyed every one. He tried not to let the doubts and worries gnaw at the back of his mind, for she was human and he a merman, and sometimes it was hard to keep them silent, but those thoughts melted away every weekend when he saw her again.

"Noct!"

Startling, Noctis swam up from the spire. A sigh of relief escaped him when he saw that it was just his friends. Prompto, the one who had called out to him, swam over to Noctis' side and pulled the dark-haired merman into a headlock.

"So what're you doing up here, Princey?"

"I, uh, well..."

"Let him go," sighed Gladiolus, rescuing Noctis from the headlock by pulling Prompto into one of his own. The blond struggled and cried out in protest before he managed to swim away, rubbing his neck in annoyance.

Noctis laughed at the familiar sight. Even with all the times that it happened, Prompto was still caught by surprise and his reaction was akways amusing.

"One of these days, you really _are_ gonna choke me!" coughed Prompt, returning to the group but staying clear of Gladiolus. "You crazy fish."

The scarred merman waved the matter aside. "Nah, you're overreacting. Besides, maybe that'd give you an excuse to finally talk to that healer mermaid you've been eyeing."

That shut up the blond. Cupping his chin in his hand, he glanced aside, as though he was actually considering that option.

"So did you guys want something?" asked Noctis, stretching his arms.

"We were planning on heading to the join games this weekend and wanted to check and see if you'd like to come," answered Cor, gesturing in the general direction to the coliseum.

Before, Noctis would have eagerly agreed. He loved competing in the games when he had the time. However... "This weekend?" he repeated. "Sorry, I got other things to do."

"Really? Again?" questioned Ignis, shifting his crystal lenses. "What's happening? You've never been so busy on weekends before, and I would have known had it been politically related."

Feeling his cheeks blush in embarrassment, Noctis glanced away, trying to swim back discretely. "Just some personal stuff. Nothing important."

Gladiolus crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow. "Nothing important? And yet you still can't join us for the games?"

"It's still a previous commitment! I just have something else planned, all right?"

Prompto sighed. "All right, who's the lucky girl?"

Noctis nearly choked. "_What_?"

"Or guy. We won't judge."

"It's a girl." The words left his mouth before the Prince could stop himself. His eyes shot open wide as he clamped his hands over his mouth, but the damage had been done.

"I knew it!"

"You lose the bet," said Cor, nudging Gladiolus. The scarred friend grumbled under his breath.

"What's her name, then?" asked Prompto, swimming closer.

"Uh..." Sighing, Noctis gave in. There was no use in denying what he had accidentally admitted. "Niveus."

"Is she cute?"

A smile crossed his face at the mere thought of her. "She's beautiful."

Ignis instead asked, "Have you told your father?"

"Um, well... No."

"Aw, somebody's still shy over having a girlfriend," teased Prompto, poking Noctis' shoulder. Sighing, the dark-haired Prince shoved his friend away. The teasing that he was receiving was one of the reasons that he made sure to avoid telling them of Niveus in the first place.

"Shaddup."

"Well, I can understand keeping it from your old man, but you _have_ to let us meet her."

"Why would I even _consider_ that? So you can tease her and me at the same time?"

"So we can see if you made a good choice!" explained Gladiolus. "It's our duty as your friends."

"I really don't think that's necessary," protested Noctis, waving his hands in front of him.

"Sure it is!" countered Prompto. "I mean, she really exists, _right_?"

"Of course she does!" The only problem was that she did not exist as a mermaid.

"If she has the time, we'd love to meet her," said Cor, presenting the plan in a reasonable manner.

"Cor! You're not meant to give him a way out of it!" whined Prompto.

Ignis sighed. "I doubt forcing her to meet us would warm her opinion of us."

"It's not her opinion of us that matters here." The blond crossed his arms and looked away, ending the argument like a child.

"I'll talk with her and see what I can do," complied Noctis. He really would like her to meet his friends, but he wondered if he would regret his decision.

* * *

Niveus hurried towards the end of the beach. She had always enjoyed the weekends before, but now she loved them. Thinking about Noctis was enough to make her heart race in anticipation. There was a nagging doubt that lingered at the back of her mind, one that said it could not really work between them. A merman and a human... The majority of stories she had looked up—having found more information on merfolk back when she had first found out what he really was—did not end well between the merfolk and a human. The little voice in her mind tried to tell her to stop fooling around, that nothing could come from it, but her heart overpowered that troublesome voice.

Sitting on her favourite rock, she kept her eyes peeled at the ocean. There, nearing the beach, popped up a head with dark hair. Even at the distance, she knew who it was, the tail that flicked up behind did not hurt either. Noctis waved at her from the ocean before he submerged away from sight.

Grinning from ear to ear, Niveus tossed off her sandals and clothes worn over her bathing suit aside as she hurried towards the water. The cool liquid splashed around her legs as she got deeper, elation running through her as she hurried along. Still several yards away, Noctis popped back up above the surf, swimming to meet her. Leaping from the water, the merman caught her in his arms, sending them both back into the waters below. There, he planted a quick kiss on her lips before they resurfaced.

With a laugh, Niveus returned the kiss, happy to be back in his embrace. "Morning," she grinned, pushing some of his hair aside. Whenever he greeted her like that, she knew that he had especially been looking forward to the weekend. It made her feel warm and bubbly inside, knowing that he wanted to see her as much as she wanted to see him.

"Glad to see you're well." Not letting go of her, he swam them towards one of the nearby rocks.

"So." Sighing in content, Niveus settled against Noctis' side, enjoying the beauty of the early morning with him. "What would you like to do first? I got some stuff from the library that I can show you. Or we can go for a swim, or just stay like this for a bit."

"Well, actually, I had something else in mind," he mumbled a bit faster than usual. Tilting her head, Niveus wordlessly asked him what it was he had planned. It had been some time since he last brought anything from his life to show her. While his kind had amazing items that she had never seen before, Noctis could not bring her photos or books—stories of the merfolk had at least been passed along, but he only knew so many. "Would you possibly, maybe, be interested in, well, visiting my home and meeting some friends?"

Niveus stared at him in confusion, her brow furrowing into a tight knot. She had not misheard him. Visit his home and friends. "That sounds great, really, and I'd love to, but, there is one, small, itsy-bitsy problem..."

"It's in the deep ocean?" he answered with a wry grin.

"Exactly. I mean, would scuba gear be enough? It'd take a bit for me to get a licence, though. So it'd probably be a while befo—"

"Not needed."

Growing even more confused, the pale woman tilted her head at Noctis again. He clearly knew something that she did not. Slipping away from her, he removed the pouch that he had been wearing and pulled out an item. It glinted in the light, catching her attention. In his hand was held a crystal necklace.

"It's lovely," she breathed when he held it out for her to study.

"If you put on, you'll be able to come visit my home."

The confusion returned.

"What?"

"If you wear it, you'll be able to travel the deep waters."

"_How_?"

"It's enchanted. I did the best I could from the spells I found. If it works, you should be a mermaid for, at most, three days. Plenty of time for you to come visit then return for your weekdays."

Taking the offered necklace, she studied it even more. To her eyes, it looked like an ordinary crystal. The precious gem rolled back and forth in her hand. There was a warmth to it, one not present in other crystals, and a faint glow that radiated from within that she noticed upon closer inspection.

"I just...put it on? And it'll work?"

Noctis shrugged lightly. "That's the intent. I'll make sure to stay by your side should anything go wrong."

Niveus gulped at the thought of being deep in the ocean and reverting back to being human to the n drown. It was not a desirable way to die. All cold and dark, water forcing out the air from her lungs... She shivered, her imagination getting the better of her.

"Is it actually safe...?"

"You'll be fine. Just...believe in it!" The hopeful smile from helped her to settle on a decision. She gripped the necklace tightly before unclasping the back. "Wait!"

Startled, Niveus nearly dropped the crystal into the waters. "What is it?"

"You should probably remove your bath suit first."

"Bathing suit," she corrected.

Noctis shrugged with a grin. "Close enough."

Shooting him a smirk, she slipped off the bottom of her bikini, wondering how a tail would feel compared to legs. Not waiting to wonder if it would work or not, Niveus clasped the necklace around her neck and waited. Both Noctis and Niveus watched her legs expectantly. A tingling sensation shot through her spine, that travelled down towards her legs, all the way to her toes.

As the tingles grew in intensity, so too did the glow from the necklace. Down from the crystal, light spread across her body, coating her skin in a crystalline substance. Niveus stirred in the water, feeling a little uncomfortable as she gripped Noctis' hand. He squeezed back reassuringly. The light and substance covered her legs entirely, spreading the warmth from the necklace through them. The light spread and grew, numbing the feeling in her legs and masking their appearance beneath the water.

Bit by bit, the feeling in her legs returned, only...they no longer felt like legs. Instead of two limbs, she could only feel one. The light and substance flaked away from her skin, causing both Noctis and her to gasp. Where her legs had once been was a tail, covered in white scales and fins akin to a Siamese Fighting fish. She tried to flick the end of her tail and jumped a little when it moved. It really was hers!

"It actually worked!" exclaimed Noctis in amazement.

A chuckle escaped Niveus before she looked to him and frowned. "You sound more surprised by it than me!" Rubbing his neck, the merman glanced away sheepishly. She sighed and flicked her tail at him playfully. It still felt strange.

When he looked back, the merman was smiling lightly. He tugged at her hand. "Let's get you used to being underwater before heading down."

Tripping over a tail while swimming was never something that she had to think about before, and never even thought it was possible, yet that is exactly what happened. Swimming with legs was simple for her, and Noctis made swimming with a tail look so easy. Niveus was no where near as graceful as the merman, fumbling through the ocean as she tried to follow him to deeper waters.

"So...is there anything special that I have to do?" asked Niveus, trying to stay upright in the water. Using a tail and fins... It was such an odd sensation. Not only was the unfamiliar feeling in her newly formed tail, but it was flowing through all of her body. Everything felt slightly different, and being in the water felt more right than ever before.

"Uh... I don't think so?" Noctis chuckled in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his head. "Everything comes naturally, I really don't know how to explain it. Just...uhh... Breathe?"

"Your instructions fill me with confidence," she remarked with a smirk. Pulling a face at her, the merman leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. Saying nothing else, he submerged beneath the calm surface. Niveus breathed in deeply to calm herself. They were still near the beach, near the surface, but the pale woman remained nervous. Smacking her cheeks lightly, she took one final breath and dove beneath the surface.

Everything looked so clear and the salt water did not irritate her eyes at all. There, swimming before her, was Noctis. He grinned and reached for her hands.

"Relax," he soothed, the clarity of his voice just adding to her surprise. "You have to breathe and you'll be perfectly fine. Trust me."

Part of her was still scared, but she nodded. Slowly, she let out the air that was in her lungs, and, with every part of her mind telling her not to, breathed back in.

Coughing, several large bubbles escaped her mouth. Noctis gripped her hands tightly, ready to pull her back above the waters should it be needed. Slowly, Niveus calmed down and became used to the sensation of breathing in the water. It was like breathing in thick air. It took a little more effort than she was used to, but her altered body was capable of handling it.

"This...is so weird," she chuckled, nearly giggling upon hearing her own voice. She was breathing and talking underwater. It had really worked!

"So you're all right? Everything feels fine?"

Nodding, Niveus twirled about in the water to help express her elation. Or, rather, she had tried to twirl around, but it ended up becoming more of a fumbled turn. A day or so as a mermaid may not be enough for her to really get the hang of swimming with a tail. The flipping of the tail fin to get her moving was all right, but controlling her other fins to help with the finer motions and balance was giving her a troublesome time. Though she had noticed how little Noctis used his hands to help his movements, shw felt like she was going to have to use her arms a lot more should she be even remotely successful underwater.

Noctis chuckled before he took hold of her hand once again. "All right. Stay close, don't lose that necklace, and tell me if _anything_ starts to feel different. Are you ready?"

Staring down into the water that continued on endlessly before her, Niveus felt herself swallow nervously again. It was not normal, not natural, for a human to traverse such waters on their own. Even with the crystal that hung from her neck, that gave her the ability to go where the merfolk dwelt, it felt like she was breaking an unspoken rule if she travelled to that land beneath the waves. Her brow knotted together in worry, she looked over to Noctis, who only continued to smile at her. He was inviting her. He wanted to show her his home, his world.

That was all the reason that she needed.

Hand in hand, Noctis guided her into the darkening waters below. There were no grand coral reefs around where she lived, and so the ocean was not as colourful as others, but the shape of the land beneath the waves was still breathtaking. Cliffs and spires dotted the submerged landscape, fish and various plant life becoming more discernible to her. It was amazing, despite the growing darkness, her eyes could still distinguish the living creatures. The eyesight of merfolk was astounding.

A new light source began to catch her attention from ahead of them. It was a fluorescent light that set the surrounding ocean aglow. Silhouetted by the ethereal light, Niveus could see shapes moving about, larger than the other fish they had passed along their way. At first blush, she thought they may have been dolphins, but she then realized what they were: merfolk.

Living with the merfolk was a bountiful amount of other ocean life, ranging from fish, sea mammals, and colourful coral and other plants. Such a civilization actually existed beneath the waves...

"Welcome to Lucis," announced Noctis as they neared, all the details of the city unveiling themselves.

"It's amazing," breathed Niveus in wonder. "How has this remained hidden for all this time? We may not have discovered everything in the ocean, but surely this should have been found out at some point or another."

The merman shrugged. "Magical camouflage—it really does wonders. The perimeter protects the area, causing any human to look here or pass though, with help of your machines or otherwise, to just see more of the surrounding oceanscape. Funny enough, tales talk of how humans used to be able to spot merfolk and nearly happen upon our realm much more easily than they do these days. Something about losing touch with their magical side or something."

Niveus hummed lightly in thought, her eyes wandering to all that lay around her. Eagerly, Noctis began to show her around the underwater city. It was astounding how recognizable things were while also appearing foreign. She tried to keep her astonishment hidden, not wanting to attract attention from the other merfolk. At best, she felt like some silly tourist, someone that they probably did not get very often if at all.

"So are there other cities like this?" she asked after he finished telling about one of the structures that they had passed. The majority of the structures were built into the land itself, the coral and plants bringing everything alive.

"Oh, many." Noctis waved off towards the rest of the ocean. "A lot of cities, then smaller towns... Quite similar to your world. We just tend to avoid living too close to the tict...tecta... Uh, what did you call those areas between the separate land pieces?"

"Tectonic plates?"

He snapped his fingers at her. "Yeah, those. Little too unstable for our liking there, so we—_oof_!"

"Noct!" cried out a voice that rushed up from behind then had collided with the dark-haired merman. Niveus yelled lightly in surprise and came as close to jumping as one could while underwater. She watched as what looked to be a new merman, one with a silvery tail, struggling about with Noctis. Remaining still, the pale woman was not sure how to respond. She then tensed when a few more bodies moved up near her.

One sighed. "I'll break them up," he said as though it happened every day. The merman, sporting a brown and white meshed tail, swam off to break the other two up, leaving Niveus beside the two remaining mermen. Sheepishly, she looked over to the stationary two, one of which had his arms crossed and the other was shifting what looked like glasses.

The bespectacled one glanced her way before nodding slightly. "Hello."

"H-hi..." she stammered back, feeling a little nervous when he studied her before glancing back away. Any moment, she felt like one of them would realize that she did not belong.

"Where you been, Noct?" asked the blond after the brunet split them up. "We went to come get you this morning and you weren't around."

Noctis only sighed before swimming back over to Niveus' side, taking her hand in his. "Not quite how I wanted you all to meet, but, guys, this is Niveus. Niv, this is Prompto, Gladiolus, Ignis, and Cor," he introduced, gesturing to each of his friends. They each greeted her in their own way, save for Prompto. The blond cupped his chin in his hand and swam in, coming into Niveus' personal space as he studied her. "Prompto," sighed Noctis, pushing his friend away. "Enough of that. "Don't go creeping her out right away."

"Hmm... Not really my type, but I guess I can sorta see why you like her."

Both Noctis and Niveus deadpanned. The merman sarcastically retorted, "Your approval means so much to me."

"Why, hello to you, too," drawled Niveus.

The blond laughed, waving his hand. "Nah, don't worry, just kidding around. I can see why Noct didn't have you meet us before, though."

Niveus blanched even more, fearing that they had already figured out what she truly was. "O-oh? And why's that?"

Prompto shot her a playful wink. "Because he knew we'd try to steal you away from him. We're better than Princey boy here."

"Okay. Enough of that." Noctis gripped Niveus' hand tighter, pulling her closer to him. The pale woman merely stared at him, mouth slightly ajar. Pricey boy? Was that nickname in jest or was Noctis really a Prince? It was never something that he had brought up before. She made a mental note to ask him about it later when they were away from his friends.

"So, where are you from, Niveus?" asked Cor, changing the subject, for which she was not thankful.

Her look of surprise shifted from Noctis to his friends. How could she answer that without revealing that she was human? She merely knew the name of the underwater city, not street names, or districts, or whatever other system that may have been used.

"I'm from a-around," she replied with a shrug and hoping that they would ask something else that she actually could answer.

"Ohh, are you a girl from the slums?" blurted out Prompto. Subtlety did not appear to be one of his strong points.

"What."

Noctis buried his face in his palm again. "She most certainly isn't!" he replied for her.

"Ah, some discrete noble family, then?" pondered Gladiolus.

"Not quite." Niveus shook her head, trying to deal with the matter coyly. She would have to have another word with Noctis.

"That is quite the strange top you got there," interjected Prompto before any more guesses could be made.

"My top?" She glanced down to the one shred of clothing that she still wore. There she had worried over not appearing like a tourist, and yet what she wore gave her away more than anything else. "N-near the coast." How much paler was she going to get from their questions?

The blond smirked cheekily. "Ah. You must be one of _those_."

Niveus gulped. "One of what...?"

"A mermaid who's obsessed with the human world!"

"_Ooohhh_." She had to hold back a sigh of relief. They had not figured out what she truly was after all. "Something like that, yeah." A weak chuckle escaped her.

"Ah, so you're the reason Noct's had more things to talk about the surface and humans lately. I don't think I've ever seen him so fascinated with them before."

Noctis and Niveus shared a glance between each other. "Something like that, yeah..." muttered the merman.

"So, are you guys just going to keep interrogating me, or are we actually going to do something around here?"

A challenging grin flashed across Prompto's face. "If you think you have what it takes to keep up."

After spending the rest of the day (though it felt strange to not have any daylight to judge what time it was) with Noctis' friends, playing games, showing her around, and even exploring a little more, Niveus was relieved to hear that it was time for them to call it a night. While getting to know his friends and the city had been a lot of fun, and had her laughing along with them most of the time, doing activities as a mermaid tired her out far more than they would have as a human. She was still getting used to using fins rather than legs. By the end of the day, Niveus had nearly been dead weight in the water.

"Do you actually ever use the hallways, or something?" she asked as Noctis slipped into his room through the window. Or, rather, it would have been a window in a human house, but there was nothing like glass covering it, just some curtains made of various plant life. Niveus rested against it a moment, happy to not be constantly moving.

He laughed at her comment as he tossed a few items aside to "clean up" a little. Seeing that made Niveus grin in amusement—some things were not so different between humans and merfolk. "Normally, yes. But when you can swim anywhere you want, you're not really restrained to them."

"So did you bring me this way because it was easier, or because you had a better chance of hiding me from your father?"

Noctis' ears reddened in embarrassment like the other times that day when his friends teased him about the same thing. Niveus chuckled under her breath, swimming in to plant a quick kiss on his cheek and relieving him of the need to answer. Sighing out low, Noctis looped his arms around her, pulling her closer and rooting her in place as best was one could in water. Niveus remained silent with him in the embrace, enjoying the feel of his steady heartbeat and how his tail locked with hers, making them drift to the floor.

"So...are you really a Prince?" she voiced, finally asking the question that had been on her mind since meeting his friends.

"Yeah. Why? Something wrong with that?"

"Well, no. Just, why didn't you ever tell me before?"

Noctis blinked at her, as though the matter had never even crossed his mind before she brought it up. He shrugged. "It's not normally something I have to tell people to begin with; they already know. I guess it just slipped my mind with you."

"Silly." With a chuckle, Niveus flicked his nose playfully. "You realize now that you owe me." She bit her bottom lip, holding back a grin after seeing his perplexed expression. The way his brow knotted together in confusion, and his face scrunched up just that right amount, it made her want to laugh whenever she saw it.

"What for?"

"Back when we first met, it turns out I saved a Prince! That clearly needs to be rewarded. A big reward, I might add." She nodded firmly, nearly giggling when she saw the glint of suspicion and concern. It was not every day that she teased him.

"Just what sort of reward are you talking about...?"

She planted her lips against his, making the Prince forget all about his confusion and concern. "Oh, I still need to think about it, but I'll make sure to let you know."

* * *

The sun was beginning to peak over the horizon as Niveus sat and waited by the ocean, her eyes firmly fixed on the waters that began to become alive with the morning light. She had barely been able to sleep during the previous night. Noctis had told her that he had another surprise for her when they next met. A few more weeks had passed since her first journey into the ocean, and so she assumed it was another trip down into the depths, or at least something related to his kin. It was not every visit that he had a surprise for her.

Not even having brought a book to pass the time with, she tucked her legs to her body and waited. She let a wide grin split across her face. Every thought of him made her feel giddy, and knowing that she could visit his world from time to time made her all the more elated. Gone was the worry that she once had over their relationship, and things felt so much better.

Out in the distance, she saw a tail break the surface of the water. Niveus knew that tail all too well. Kicking off her sandals like usual, she hurried to the water, surprised by how close Noctis had already reached the shore when he reappeared.

"G'morning," she greeted, sitting down in the shallow waters that he had reached.

"Hey there," he smiled back, coming up to her side and planting a swift kiss on her cheek. It was the little things that he did that made her smile. The way he gave a quick kiss on her cheek in greeting. How he would give her a long hug just because he felt like it. How his fingers laced so nicely with hers. The way he would brush aside her damp bangs after swimming to see her eyes better. Everything. Every moment with him made her happy that they had even met, let alone were together.

"So, what's the surprise?" she asked, unable to withhold her overflowing curiosity.

Noctis chuckled under his breath. "I think somebody's a little eager."

"Not my fault you told me! It kept me up nearly all night."

"Oh, very well. I guess it doesn't hurt to do it right away." From the sack that he had been carrying, Noctis pulled out a familiar item. The crystal necklace that had transformed her into a mermaid hung from his hand. In the morning light, it shimmered and glinted, eager to be put to use.

"Well, I think I should be able to swim better this time. What were you going to show me? Or is that the surprise?" She held out her hands to him for the necklace. Though her body had been quite sore after her trip to Lucis, having used muscles that she did not normally use, she was eager to see more of his world—see what no human had seen before. To her surprise, Noctis pulled the necklace away rather than pass it to her, causing her to furrow her brow in confusion.

He chuckled. "This one's not for you."

"Who's it for, then?"

"Me, silly. Who else?"

"But, you're already a merman!"

"This one will turn me into a human for a few days." Niveus' eyes shifted between Noctis and the necklace. His ears reddened at her silence. "I-I was kinda hoping to be able to see more of your world than just the coastline and photos..."

"And so this'll work? Like it did with me?"

A weak laugh escaped him. "I sure hope so." Without a word further, he slipped the necklace on over his head. Standing, Niveus backed up to give him enough room for his transformation. Just like with her, light glowed from the necklace, spreading down to his tail. It consumed his lower half, blocking his tail completely out from view. She watched as the light changed shape and shortened, working its magic to form his new limbs. A grin of amazement tugged at her lips until she saw the grimace pulling at his.

"Noct? Are you all right? Is it hurting you?"

"What? Oh. No, sorry. There's no pain. It just...feels so _weird_." Sighing in relief, Niveus chuckled lightly. While she may have gone from two limbs to one, she still knew the strange sensation of having one's body shifted and remolded by the magic of the necklace.

The light around his body faded away into the calm ocean and up popped a foot. Then another. A laugh of surprise escaped Noctis, reaching forward to grip his own feet. He wiggled his toes and feet vigorously, flexing and stretching them as much as he could.

"This is so strange! How do humans _move_ with these things?"

"Trust me, even we don't get it right away. There's normally a lot of crawling and falling down involved first."

A quick snort filled the air. "I have a feeling that's going to be me most of the time up here. I don't think I'll be able to see as much as I would have liked if that's the case."

"Don't worry. I'll stay by your side to help. Now, c'mon, we know you can sit fine with your new legs, let's see if you can stand!"

Noctis shot her a bright grin. He looked like a kid who was in love with a new toy. Just like she had been amazed with her tail and the new movements it brought (though she had not been very good), so too was he enthralled by his legs before he was even using them. Feet slipped back beneath the surface before knees replaced them. His temporary legs shaking, Noctis pushed himself up from the sand and, nearly falling face-first back into the waters, managed to stand. At his success, he let out a hearty laugh in surprise.

"I did it!"

"Uh..." Niveus cleared her throat, holding back a nervous chuckle. Seeing him rise from the water, naked body glistening in the morning light, it made her throat go dry and caused a tingle to shoot up her spine. He looked good as a human.

"What? What is it?"

"You're...you're going to need some clothes before you do any more exploring of the surface."

Noctis pulled his face in confusion, his nose scrunching up like always before he glanced down at his form. "Human males...have it out like this all the time?"

"Yes, yes they do." Niveus had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing. Holding his arm for support, she helped him to the dry beach.

"That must really get awkward at times."

"I would think so. Here, you can tie this around your waist until we get back to my place." She coughed lightly, handing him the shirt that she often wore out to the beach.

"This wouldn't be such a problem if you humans didn't feel the need to cover everything up with your clothes," he grunted, trying to keep his balance as Niveus pulled away to slip her sandals back on. Compared to humans, the merfolk wore quite little, just pieces of attire that she would have considered adornments on their arms or torsoes.

"Hey, clothes are for protection, too, from the elements. Heat, cold, rain, snow, you name it."

"All right, fair enough. There, will that do?"

Niveus pursed her lips together to hold back a chuckle. Her shirt had not been made for such a task, but it would have to do. With it still being quite early, she hoped not many more people were out along the beach. Too many eyes wandering to him would not be a good thing.

"For now. C'mon, you'll be able to relax and get used to your legs at my place. And I'll be able to get you some better clothes." Taking his hand in hers, Niveus guided him back along the beach. The way he stumbled and clung to her for balance made her chuckle in sympathy. Not long ago, she had been the one fumbling around in a different land in an unfamiliar body. They took the journey one step at a time, Noctis nearly falling more than once.

"I didn't expect walking to be so difficult," grunted the Prince.

"Just be thankful you're only walking! There's running, jumping, skipping, and more, too."

"Can we save that for another time, please?"

Niveus chuckled and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. "Don't worry. We'll leave it to walking for this visit."

There had not been many people out on the beach yet, thankfully, giving them a slow, quiet walk back to her house. The steps leading to her front door gave Noctis even more trouble. It was cute to see him step up one at a time, his slow pace keeping him from falling.

"You really make this look easier than it is," he sighed upon reaching the last step.

"But you did really well for your first try! You didn't get any sand in your face." Tugging his hand to get him to follow, she unlocked her door and let them both inside. Enough morning light flooded in through to make all her interior furnishing visible. It was not a large house, nor was it filled with a lot of stuff, but it was her home.

"So all of this...is yours?"

"Yep!"

"This is amazing! All those photos in magazines were one thing, but actually seeing things humans made in person is so much better. What is all thi—!"

"Careful!" Noctis had forgotten how unused he was to his feet and had started off towards the kitchen, but he made it no more than a few steps before tripping over his own feet. Grabbing him, Niveus barely kept him upright. Falling inside her home would hurt much more than falling out on the sandy beach. "Let's get you seated. My stuff isn't going anywhere." Once more supporting him, Niveus guided him over to a nearby couch. He tried to sit down, but bending his knees to do so sent him off-balance again, causing him to take a tumble onto the couch rather than sit, and Niveus was dragged down with him.

While he murmured apologies, Niveus could only laugh as she tucked some of her hair behind her ear. Leaning back, she stared at Noctis' wonderful eyes. Bluer and deeper than the ocean, she loved delving into those eyes. Niveus leaned back in and captured his lips with hers, cupping his jaw in her hands. She had kissed him before, many times, but none such as this.

All the feelings that had been welling up inside of her were released in that kiss. Her love, her passion, her desire. All of it and more was revealed to Noctis though the kiss as she locked their mouths together, slowly pressing her body against his. His skin was warm from all the sun from the walk home, and she loved it. Strong hands, softer than she had originally expected from all his time in the water, glided over her back, not wanting to let her go. He was her Prince, her knight from the sea, having breached the boundaries between their races to be together.

"I think..." She paused, panting to catch her breath. Likewise, Noctis breathed hard, his lips still temptingly close as he tried to regain his own senses. "I think I know...what I want for my reward now."

"Oh?" he whispered, voice low. "So what is it?"

"You." Not allowing another breath to pass between them, she kissed him again. It did not end there. Noctis ran his lips across her jaw and down her neck, rising to her unvoiced challenge. She gripped his hair a moment, keeping him there against her soft skin—and his lips felt _wonderful_ on her skin—as she sighed in pleasure. "Don't worry," she managed to murmur once she regained enough air, "you won't have to use your legs."

* * *

Noctis and Niveus lay on the beach, their legs and tail being covered and uncovered by the constant motion from the ocean. Raising her foot, she played with his fin as they both wound down from the day together. That was still all they could have: days together. Noctis had since increased the power in the necklaces, allowing them to spend even more time as a human or mermaid, but even those visits eventually came to an end.

"Hey, Niv?" murmured Noctis, reaching for her hand.

"Yeah?" She tilted her head to look at him. The way the warm rays from setting sun danced in his eyes was like that on the ocean, only it was better because they could gaze back at her.

"Will you marry me?" Niveus felt herself freeze even before Noctis' gaze settled on her. Though his eyes were warm, they did little to help her current state. Her voice caught in her throat and she could say nothing, not even ask if it would be possible between them. "Ever since I started thinking to ask you, I've been combing through spells," he explained upon hearing her confused silence. "There is one spell, a strong one that cannot be undone or cast again on the same being, that would be able to change a human into a mermaid. So i-it would be possible for you to have a full life in the ocean. It wouldn't be so different from your life now, things to do, a job even, only...only you'd be able to live with me. We wouldn't be constrained to visits."

Niveus still remained silent, trying to process everything. Her eyes widened more and more with each addition to his proposal. A life under the ocean, as a mermaid. It sounded like a child's fantasy, a dream, something that was far too good to be true. Yet he had suggested it with such ease, if a little flustered, and it took no more than a spell. A spell that could forever change her life.

"O-or the spell could even be used to make me a human, if you'd prefer to remain living as one. I think I could manage to live as a human, as long as it means living with you. Or we could just forget the spell entirely and continue living as we are now, only...I just want it to be with you. It's a lot to take in, I know, but, think it over, will you?"

A smile slowly curled her lips upward. "There's no need. I know my answer."

Upon hearing her response, Noctis dared to grin in hope. "What is it?"

She captured his lips in a swift kiss, erasing any lingering doubts that may have remained in them both. Smiling brightly, she gave her answer, knowing, without hesitation or apprehension, where they then both, together, would live.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, there you have it! Hope you were able to find it cute and/or amusing in places, or just enjoy the thought of Noctis and his friends as mermen. I'll leave it up to you to decide Niv's answer at the end there.

Now to finally get back to working on my main fics, hah.


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